Medical Stretchers have specific requirements when it comes to mattresses. The stretchers have specific frames in which the mattresses should fit easily. There are various fabrics that are needed to be considered as the fabrics of a normal mattress might cause problems. Therefore a whole lot of consideration needs to be put into buying a proper stretcher mattress.
If you are looking for a stretcher mattress in the market, then you should definitely keep the following points in mind before buying:
Foam of the mattress is really important as it provides extra comfort and protection to the patient. Stretcher needs to be moved at a fast pace and the patient shouldn’t feel that movement therefore, the foam should have a really high density robust quality. Standard Stryker stretcher mattress comes with a supportive foam made of robust polyurethane. It also has a covering of Lectrolite for added density.
The mattress you purchase has to be anti-microbial and hypo-allergenic. You have no idea about the different allergies that a patient has and what all a patient could catch or leave on the stretcher mattress. Therefore to protect the patient from other extra problems and also protect other patients from further contamination, having hypo-allergenic and anti-microbial features are a must in the mattress.
Basically, a standard stretcher mattress can be used for patients who don’t have that long of a surgery i.e. shorter surgical cases. Standard mattress can be used for patients who are also at a really low risk of developing ulcers. But when it comes to the premium care cushions, they are designed to offer superior management of pressure. They have a top memory foam layer which shapes up according to the anatomy of the patient, a middle layer which transfers all the pressure from the bony areas and finally a dense bottom layer which prevents the patient from touching the bottom of the stretcher. Therefore this can be used for higher risk or longer surgical cases.
As mattresses are regularly used, it is really important to clean them up. If the material is stain resistant, you wouldn’t have to worry about that and you can use the mattress again and again. Having a durable mattress ensures that the patient would be safe and secure from any kind of new external injury because of the mattress.
As stretcher mattresses and medical patients require constant monitoring, to secure them from fluctuations and electrostatic discharges, the mattress should be conductive. Lectrolite material on the mattress makes it a conductive material and it makes the mattress more durable and thicker too.
Make sure you keep the following pointers in mind, the next time you go out to purchase stretcher mattresses for your medical stretcher’s needs.